SUWON — Nam Jong-seop, speaker of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council, reaffirmed his commitment to enacting a Local Council Act on the 14th, marking his 100th day in office. He also pledged to continue legislative work centered on the daily concerns of provincial residents.
Nam posted a message on his Facebook page that day titled "A Comma at 100 Days, Carried Forward With Greater Responsibility." In the post, he said the past 100 days were "a time of building a foundation internally and creating greater responsibility externally so that the Gyeonggi Provincial Council can fulfill its role."
Nam said that since taking office he had completed the formation of council bodies through dialogue and compromise between the governing and opposition parties, laying a foundation for the leadership and standing committees to operate stably. He also said he had worked to strengthen the council's integrity and accountability by institutionalizing ethics training for members and improving procedures for handling workplace abuse.
He placed particular emphasis on the importance of public trust in the council. "I believe that the more we speak of authority, the heavier our responsibility must be," Nam said. "That is because if the council loses trust, no change can be made persuasive."
He also showed strong resolve on the Local Council Act, which he has pursued as a core task since taking office. Nam outlined his activities to date, including forming a task force reporting directly to the speaker, building ties with local councils nationwide, and visiting the National Assembly to request cooperation on passing the legislation this year.
He also referred to his responsibilities as chairman of the National Association of Metropolitan and Provincial Council Chairpersons. "I have accepted the enactment of a Local Council Act, a long-held aspiration of local councils, as an even heavier responsibility," he said. "I am working to bring together the will of local councils across the country and turn a long-awaited change into reality."
Nam was also clear about his stance on legislative work tied to everyday life. Citing issues closely linked to residents' daily lives such as disaster and safety, education and the regional economy, he stressed that reflecting voices from the field in policy and budgets is an important role of the council.
"One hundred days is only a comma," he said. "I will protect people's livelihoods and build a foundation for a better local council." He added: "I will not forget how I felt the day I first sat in the speaker's chair. I will build a council that looks after residents' lives from the closest possible distance and carries out to the end the responsibility entrusted to it by the people of the province."
Nam was elected speaker for the first half of the 12th Gyeonggi Provincial Council at the first plenary session of the council's 392nd extraordinary session on July 7, winning 165 votes out of 167 members present.